-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
longest extension cord you've tried thats worked
- Thread starter @heist80
- Start date
What charge rate are you charging at? 12A, 16A? At any rate, I've used a 25' 12 gauge for 16A charging. Works fine.
One caveat. After about a year of charging off a 120V 20A outdoor GFCI receptacle at 16A (one with the horizontal slot), it caught fire and burned up. Fire was contained in the metal receptacle enclosure, but you could see smoke damage outside it. I replaced it all with a new heavy duty 20A receptacle (no GFCI), and have been charging one of our Teslas at 16A since, with no apparent problem (note that EVSEs, like Tesla's Mobile Connector, have a built in GFCI). I don't know if the GFCI just died, or the wire connection to the GFCI worked its way loose.
Last edited:
1speed
Member
12A. yes my GFCI also blew out about a year into charging but my electrician said it was due to rain since i didn't have the plug protected. once that was replaced have had no issues since works fine and i get a 6mph charge
yes man if i can get a place with a garage where there is already a dryer outlet i can use that would be excellent.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING EXTENSION CORDS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING.
Also, I used a 50' 12g for a week and it was fine. The outlet end was weather protected and I piled the mobile connector and all the pluggy bits under the vehicle to protect them from rain.
Have you talked to your potential future apartment manager about EV charging? They might work with you to provide a better spot or even allow you to pay for a high AMP outlet installation that is tied to your unit's power bill.
Also, I used a 50' 12g for a week and it was fine. The outlet end was weather protected and I piled the mobile connector and all the pluggy bits under the vehicle to protect them from rain.
Have you talked to your potential future apartment manager about EV charging? They might work with you to provide a better spot or even allow you to pay for a high AMP outlet installation that is tied to your unit's power bill.
Just to add I've had it been using this one daily for 7mos now
Our apt unit has a separate detached garage shared so had to ran this. I did check with an electrician as long as the cable is safely placed and outlet is good condition. HTH
IRON FORGE 10 Gauge Extension Cord 75 FT - 15 AMP Extension Cord with 3 Prong 10 AWG Water Resistant Yellow Outdoor Extension Cord - Great for Generator, Compressor, Major Appliances, US Veteran Owned
Last edited by a moderator:
ATPMSD
Active Member
I agree, extension cords should be avoided.
That said, this is a good website to use to determine wire size. Just be sure you enter in the circuit amperage. For example, if you will be using as 120V 20A outlet you should enter 20 amps. I suggest leaving the allowable voltage drop as 3%.
That said, this is a good website to use to determine wire size. Just be sure you enter in the circuit amperage. For example, if you will be using as 120V 20A outlet you should enter 20 amps. I suggest leaving the allowable voltage drop as 3%.
RayK
Active Member
I also agree that extension cords should not be used as part of normal charging.
That said, I have one of these in my trunk for emergencies:
That said, I have one of these in my trunk for emergencies:
I do get the comments about "extension cords should not be used as primary charging", but with that being said, if one gets an appropriate gauge one for the job, and its not some sort of "big box brand in store special", but a good quality one, its not that bad.
The problem is, people dont tend to buy an appropriate one, they drag out the one from their shed that they use to power some garden tool or something, that they got from home depot / lowes 7 years ago, and say "I will just plug this into my garage outlet to charge my car" and proceed to run it at maximum 12amp draw for days at a time.
The problem is, people dont tend to buy an appropriate one, they drag out the one from their shed that they use to power some garden tool or something, that they got from home depot / lowes 7 years ago, and say "I will just plug this into my garage outlet to charge my car" and proceed to run it at maximum 12amp draw for days at a time.
AC Traction
Member
Agreed that extensions shouldn't be used regularly. However, there are one-off situations where they're handy or even necessary, and if built/spec'd correctly, they're safe. I built a custom 25' cable out of 8/3 SOOW and 14-50 plugs for use only with my mobile connector. I removed the neutral pin from the male plug (like the EVSEadapters.com extensions) so it will fit in either a 14-50 or 14-30 receptacle. I also conspicuously labeled it "NO NEUTRAL! 240V EV CHARGING ONLY" so someone wouldn't be tempted to use it to hook up their RV. I also carry a 6-50 to 14-50 adapter for using welding receptacles and a 10-30 to 14-30 adapter for using older dryer receptacles. That setup allows a L2 charge from a 14-50, 6-50, 14-30 or 10-30. None of the adapters or the extension connections get hotter than warm after charging for hours, and the voltage drop is negligible over just the mobile connector. The only thing I have to be careful about is setting the car to 24A when connected to a 30A receptacle. I wouldn't have to do that if I got a 14-30 tail for my mobile connector.
If you use an extension, watch the voltage drop in the car as the charger ramps up from 0A to whatever it's set at. Also, closely monitor the temperature rise of the cable and especially the plug contacts after some time charging. The temp sensor in the mobile connector plug can't tell what's going on at the other end of the extension.
If you use an extension, watch the voltage drop in the car as the charger ramps up from 0A to whatever it's set at. Also, closely monitor the temperature rise of the cable and especially the plug contacts after some time charging. The temp sensor in the mobile connector plug can't tell what's going on at the other end of the extension.
Eric33432
Member
I only use for occasional use when traveling.
I used to use a 50 foot 10 g cord with NEMA 10-30 plug and receptacle on each end with little voltage drop as the charging rate increased to 24 amps.
And a NEMA 14-30P to 10-30R adapter pigtail. These allows me to charge from any of the two popular dryer outlets you will come across. I think they would be adequate for everyday use if your dryer outlet was high quality and you did not need it for regular use for your dryer, otherwise you would need a Dryer Buddy or similar.
If you do this be sure to get the three conductor cord, even if you have a four prong outlet as the Tesla only needs three conductors and the cable is very heavy. A four conductor cable will be even heavier. The adapter pigtail has the neutral on the 4 prong plug wired to the neutral on the 3 prong receptacle (the ground prong is not connected to anything). The Tesla is fine with that, as the NEMA 10-30 Tesla adapter for the TWC is wired exactly the same.
But now I connect the NEMA 10-30 Tesla Mobile Connector adapter into 10-30 dryer outlet, or use my NEMA 14-30P to 10-30R adapter pigtail if house has the newer 4 prong dryer outlet and this Lectron Tesla extention cord. This allows the TMC to remain indoors.
Use all the above only when visiting family/friends/vacation home. If you use these on a regular basis keep an eye on them to be sure they are not overheating.
My son borrowed my NEMA cables for a few months to use with his dryer outlet when he bought his Tesla because he was moving and did not want to install a Tesla Wall Connector in his old house. He had no problems.
These cables are very thick and heavy and for everyday use I would find them inconvenient.
I used to use a 50 foot 10 g cord with NEMA 10-30 plug and receptacle on each end with little voltage drop as the charging rate increased to 24 amps.
And a NEMA 14-30P to 10-30R adapter pigtail. These allows me to charge from any of the two popular dryer outlets you will come across. I think they would be adequate for everyday use if your dryer outlet was high quality and you did not need it for regular use for your dryer, otherwise you would need a Dryer Buddy or similar.
If you do this be sure to get the three conductor cord, even if you have a four prong outlet as the Tesla only needs three conductors and the cable is very heavy. A four conductor cable will be even heavier. The adapter pigtail has the neutral on the 4 prong plug wired to the neutral on the 3 prong receptacle (the ground prong is not connected to anything). The Tesla is fine with that, as the NEMA 10-30 Tesla adapter for the TWC is wired exactly the same.
But now I connect the NEMA 10-30 Tesla Mobile Connector adapter into 10-30 dryer outlet, or use my NEMA 14-30P to 10-30R adapter pigtail if house has the newer 4 prong dryer outlet and this Lectron Tesla extention cord. This allows the TMC to remain indoors.
Use all the above only when visiting family/friends/vacation home. If you use these on a regular basis keep an eye on them to be sure they are not overheating.
My son borrowed my NEMA cables for a few months to use with his dryer outlet when he bought his Tesla because he was moving and did not want to install a Tesla Wall Connector in his old house. He had no problems.
These cables are very thick and heavy and for everyday use I would find them inconvenient.
Last edited:
Eric33432
Member
davewill
Active Member
Another problem with using one for daily charging is that people plug everything in, then ignore it, just plugging and unplugging the car every day. Meanwhile the movement from people kicking it out of the way, or daily coiling and uncoiling slowly works one end or the other a little loose, and suddenly, you've got a bad connection.
If you insist on using one, inspect the connections often.
If you insist on using one, inspect the connections often.
LoL-Gas
Member
I can’t find the link on Amazon anymore, but I had good luck with a 75ft cord on a NEMA 5-20. I no longer use it but would be comfortable using it again. I usually just kept it at 12 amps and never had issues.
I read somewhere the mobile connector has a temp probe in the plug which monitors for high temps. Using an extension cord would bypass this at the wall outlet and push the temp monitoring to the end of the ext cord. Something to think about
I read somewhere the mobile connector has a temp probe in the plug which monitors for high temps. Using an extension cord would bypass this at the wall outlet and push the temp monitoring to the end of the ext cord. Something to think about
Similar threads
